Database research record2020·Global
Refigurative politics: understanding the volatile participation of critical creatives in community gardens, repair cafés and clothing swaps
Michael Deflorian
Social movement studies
Urban Farm DB summary
This article examines the volatile participation of critical creatives in collective alternative everyday practices (CAEPs) like community gardens, which often involves irregular engagement and adherence to unsustainable consumer lifestyles. Drawing on Late-Modern Subject Theory, it argues that participants attempt to embody an idealized Self but fail persistently due to structural constraints and personal liberties in late-modern society. This results in "refigurations" of utopia that are bound to fail, highlighting a governance challenge in sustaining engagement.